This invention relates to the field of automatic identification and data capture. In particular, this invention is drawn to visually distinctive bar code symbols.
Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) is a term frequently used to describe the identification of articles and collection of data into a processor controlled device without the use of a keyboard. AIDC technology is designed to increase efficiency in collection and identification by reducing errors and increasing the rate of identification and collection.
Bar code symbols and bar codes represent one type of AIDC technology. Bar codes have become ubiquitous parts of everyday commercial transactions. Merchandise carried by grocery stores, for example, is labeled with a barcode. A scanner is used to identify an item at the point of purchase by the consumer. The scanner uses the bar code information to look up the item""s price. The price is then provided to a cash register for tallying the customer""s bill.
Bar codes traditionally consist of a sequence of two element types: bars and spaces. The bars and spaces are arranged such that the bars are parallel and the spaces separate the bars. One encoding methodology varies the width and the sequence of the elements to encode alphanumeric data. The particular encoding methodology is referred to as a barcode symbology. An optical scanner is used to read the bar code symbol and decode the bar code to provide the original alphanumeric data.
The use of the data may vary depending upon the needs of the inquiring entity. A grocery store, for example, may need a unique identifier for a particular product in order to enable calculation of price at checkout or for managing inventory. A medical supplier, however, may need to identify manufacturing dates, lot numbers, expiration dates, and other information about the same product to enable better distribution control. The level of identification needed may vary depending upon the intended use.
Bar code symbologies are efficiently designed to support a specific industry need rather than a wide range of needs. A number of bar code symbologies are presently being used to track products throughout their life expectancy as they are manufactured, distributed, stored, sold, serviced, and disposed of. The bar code symbology designed for one application, however, may not suffice the needs of another application.
The article can be marked with multiple bar codes to address the needs of the various applications. One disadvantage of introducing multiple bar codes is that scanning efficiency may decrease. In particular, if the bar code symbols are based on the same bar code symbology but are otherwise not encoding identical values, the scanner may incorrectly interpret the encoded information if the wrong bar code is scanned.
Even if different bar code symbologies are used, the scanning efficiency will be reduced. The bar code symbol associated with a particular symbology may not be readily apparent to the average human operator of the scanner. The bar codes of different symbologies still appear as a sequence of parallel bars aligned in a rectangular shape. Thus the operator may attempt to scan the wrong bar code. After several retries, the operator may realize that the wrong bar code has been selected. Alternatively, the scanner itself may be capable of interpreting more than one bar code symbology which can create difficulties if the use of different symbologies is relied upon to distinguish the bar code uses. The number of bar code symbologies would unnecessarily proliferate to support new uses, if distinct symbologies are required when marking the article.
In view of limitations of known systems and methods, methods and apparatus utilizing visually distinctive bar code symbols are described.
A method includes the step of providing an article with a barcode symbol including a bar code. The bar code includes a sequence of first and second element types. At least one of the following features is used to render the bar code visually distinctive: a) at least one bar code element is not a single straight line segment; b) a contour of a bounding shape of the smallest area encompassing all the elements of a region of encoding of the bar code has at least two adjacent sides that are non-perpendicular; and c) a contour of a bounding shape of the smallest area encompassing the bar code has no side such that one end of all the bar code elements is touching that side. Curvilinear or polygonal bar code elements may be selected, for example.
Another method includes the step of scanning a bar code symbol to generate a decoded value. A resolver is selected for the bar code symbol. The resolver associates the bar code symbol with a resource. In one embodiment, the resolver accesses the resource with the decoded value.